The 'Spill

Friday, August 15, 2008

It's All Your Fault!

1) Dub Syndicate to start the row.

2) Nina Nastasia in lost dolly incident.

3) Mountain Goats run for cover.

4) Black Keys with an old girlfriend.

5) Broken Family Band living up to their name.

6) Caberet Voltaire with some advice.

7) Andy Fairley covers the elections & makes some good arguments.

8) Stranglers with tough talk.

9) The Goats dialing up the argument to eleven.

10) Robert Wyatt with philosophical arguments to make your brain hurt.

Cuss Cuss
One Old Woman
Dance Music
Psychotic Girl
Honest Man's Blues
Don't Argue
The Election Pt.1
Sometimes
No Children
Free Will And Testament

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Ever since I lived in Finland - for about 8 months, back in 1999/2000 - I've had this album (Frendit) and this track in my collection. Everytime I hear it, it has me clapping and singing along, even though I dont speak a word of Finnish. What I wanna know is...am I just a lolloping nutcase with earmuffs or is this a classic pop tune? Answers on a postcard, etc. sourpus

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

50.000 FUZZY GUITARS!!!

The not so white cliffs of Saint-Aubin s/ Mer

Well I'm back, back on the 'Spill, but also back in Europe (for good it seems), and after about a fortnight with only dial-up internet I'm finally catching up on the 'Spill, but most importantly I can finally share this song that has been driving me crazy this past week, because it's so amazingly brilliant: Why Can't There Be Love by Dee Edwards, (who also sang I Can Deal With That, which I think is in one my social Cds) and now I want fuzzy guitars everywhere. 50.000 FUZZY GUITARS!!!

Why Can't There Be Love
You Know Baby
The Opening Title Sequence
Going To California
Passin' Me By (Hot Chip Remix)
Sleepy Head

After the discussions on racism and hip-hop, it's a perfect opportunity to post this song by my new favourite rapper Wale:

The Kramer

An Imperfect List

Sometimes I like a list
Sometimes a list will make me explore things that I do not know
Sometimes I'm bored and rattle off a list to keep me from going F****** Insane
Sometimes other peoples lists make me feel like the sanest person in the world

I Love You (LISTen to this) Dexys Midnight Runners
LIST of demands Robyn
Let's make love and LISTen to death from above CSS
Personal JournaLIST Sage Francis
What else is new LIST His Name Is Alive
I had a LIST and I lost it The drift

"I received a lot of questions from some about why I would allow my song 'List of Demands' to be used in a Nike campaign. Ironically, half of the people now reading this post never heard of me until that commercial aired. That, indeed, was one of my reasons for allowing it. A small circle of poets and conscious do-gooders are not enough to effect the change necessary to shift our planet in peril. We must enlist people from all walks of life, people not accustomed to questioning the norm, people who may simply want to dance uninterrupted without message or slogan. I see no glory in 'preaching to the converted'. Furthermore, I believe fully in the power of music and have branded my work with it's own conscientious stamp and stomp of attitude fueled to steal the show in the face of the nonsensical. Quite simply, it was clear to me that people would not be rushing to the store to buy Nikes after seeing that commercial, but rather rushing to youtube or itunes to hear or download the song. I even imagined those who would be rushing to blogs to question how I could allow this to happen and the subsequent discussion of the ethical treatment of factory workers and how new minds would be informed and enlisted in the struggle for ethical change." -- Saul Williams

Beam me up Scotty - back in the world of, er, "real" music...

Were I to have a tardis (and let's face it, we've all wanted one at some point or another) I'd use it to travel to New York's Lincoln Center this Friday. Manuel Göttsching is playing the U.S. premier of his monumental E2 - E4 live accompanied visually by the Joshua Light Show (by Joshua White, famed for his work at Bill Graham's Fillmore East venue with artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin). It promises to be utterly spectacular. I know many of you are fans of E2 - E4 and I can't imagine a better place to be on Friday night than listening to a live performance of this hypnotic piece by the composer with a stunning light show. If any of you stateside are in the area, check it out. He's also playing some other dates in the U.S. following the Lincoln Center concert and you'll find the details here.

Just for the anecdote, E2 - E4 came into being almost by accident. Manuel told me that he'd just finished a tour with Klaus Schulze at the end of 1981. He was still in a kind of "concert vibe" and so went into his studio to play a concert for himself. Thank God he had the foresight to press the 'record' button before he started improvising with his various keyboards, sequencers and guitars. When he'd finished, he listened to the result and realised that he had produced a perfect recording with no sound glitches or imperfections whatsoever. The resulting 59'20 recording didn't fit into any release plan he'd envisaged and yet he realised he'd come up with something exceptional. He went to see Richard Branson on his houseboat to ask what he thought. Branson was trying to rock his baby to sleep, and when the little one heard E2 - E4, it promptly slumbered off in his arms. His comment was "Manuel, you can make a fortune with that music..."

As for Manuel's Missus, Ilona Ziok, those of you who live in Germany (at least one of you!) might like to catch her documentary "Kurt Gerron's Karussell" broadcast on Phoenix on August 23rd (20:15). It's a musical documentary about the life of German-Jewish actor Kurt Gerron who appeared with Dietrich in The Blue Angel. Like many other Jewish performers he was interned in Theresienstadt concentration camp. Once inside, the musicians, actors and other peformers continued to play music and put on shows as a survival strategy. The film uses a cabaret - "The Karussell" - written and performed inside Theresienstadt as a backdrop for the story of Gerron's life. Ilona has staged the songs from the cabaret with artists such as Ute Lemper (who is apparently very cool), Max Raabe and Ben Becker. It's a stunning film which I thoroughly recommend.

Ilona and Manuel - Hals und Beinbruch für Freitag. Ich wäre furchtbar gerne da gewesen!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Classy Rawk Magazine is "proud" (actually, obligated) to announce ...

Ex KXDG frontman DarceysDad is to release a self-funded solo album under the moniker Daniel Parker. The album, entitled Three Or More Is A Congress, is a mix of cover versions and original compositions which DsD told CR were inspired by "some back-stabbing ingrates who shall remain nameless: I hope their tourbus drives off a levee!"

Classy Rawk intended to bring you a full interview with the artist, but at a strangely low-key launch party, our man's dictaphone was broken when a member of the venue staff spilt McThickShake onto it. This occurred when the spotty herbert concerned voiced the opinion that Nick Cave had beaten DsD to the name idea with his Bad Seeds, and the Manics had done that sleeve first too.

After agreeing to leave the venue, DsD gave this statement:
"I must apologise for the enthusiasm of my fans. I could see that the young man was about to blurt out his excitement at recognising me, and in such a public place I feared for the safety of the kids if a crush ensued when my presence became known. Unfortunately as I reached out to cover his mouth, the fan lurched forward, putting his face into my closed hand at quite high speed. Now where do you want me to sign? Bottom of each page?? Got a lot of family, huh? OK. To - what's your name again? 'To PC Knuckledragger, best wishes and rock on. DarceysDad' "

As Classy Rawk went to print, no copy of the album was available due to what DsD called "a slight cashflow misunderstanding at my pressing plant."

Rock 'n' [yawn] roll, huh!

Big Point Mississippi

It still hurts you know. Looking back on those halcyon days, with the benefit of hindsight and the wisdom that age brings, it’s so easy to see where it all went wrong – but we just couldn’t see it at the time. Call it the arrogance of youth, call it naivety, call it what you will – I still can’t listen to the first Big Point Mississippi album without experiencing a sense of sorrow, a sense of regret. Yes, we were young – we were just teenagers for God’s sake – but does that excuse the attitude, the posturing, the misogyny, the dwarf baiting? I don’t think so.

And we were so full of our selves – the rave reviews, the tours, the drugs, the women – it seemed like we could do no wrong. Barely three months after the release of ‘The Brain Is An Educational Toy’ we were back in the studio recording the follow up ‘All Bow Low’. Who did we think we were? More to the point, who did I think I was? Sure, I looked good on the cover – good? I looked magnificent! – but what was the whole George Michael beefcake thing about? (By the way, the suggestions that the torso wasn’t actually mine have never been proved.)

I suppose this was the turning point – the album didn’t do as well as expected and the tensions within the group began to come to the surface. Steve, the guitarist, left to join American League Division Series Broadcasters and I persuaded Tim and Rich to take Big Point Mississippi in a whole new direction, changing the name to BPM on the way.

The third album ‘Avoid Confrontation’ (see what we did there?) heralded our second coming. At the time I kidded myself that this was what we wanted but it’s obvious now that without the cutting edge that Steve brought to the band we were just another sugar-coated bubblegum pop band.

Initially, though, the new image brought us more success than we could have dreamed of. The sound was much more commercial – we were MASSIVE in Japan! – and I suppose I was just seduced by the glamour of it all. Three top ten singles (including the platinum selling ‘Something To Give In Return’) a sell-out world tour, and, for me, a life-changing relationship with StripeyBrat from Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) led to a hectic year for all of us and ultimately to my own drug-induced descent into obscurity.

Tim and Rich had had enough by now and wanted to make ‘real music’ so I was free to do my own thing. Unfortunately for the rest of the world my ‘own thing’ was my disastrous solo album ‘Incomprehensible’. God knows why I chose that title but it turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Nobody understood it, nobody liked it and most importantly, nobody bought it.

Big Point? No fucking point at all...

The eyes are everywhere!

Here's a selection - two I forgot about, two that were heavily fancied, one that gf recommended and one of my own favourites.

'When I Was a Boy I Watched the Wolves' by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick
'The Eyes of Fate' by the Incredible String Band
'I Can See For Miles' by the Who
'The Look of Love' by Dusty Springfield
'All I See' by Linda Thompson
'I Wish I Were Blind' by Bruce Springsteen

Some more Debut albums

Glad Dorians second effort didn't go for the original sex sells...
with that and shoegazers.. I ask you, eh!

Bevern - The New Metaphors

I think we might be a slightly pretentious techno duo..
Dorian

Shoey Productions, Proudly Present:

Upham’s Corner “No Cure For Curiosity”

Like the name, title & as for the album cover...#1 with a bullet, I reckon (all it needs is some some music).

Check out my new band,
Cura te ipsum
New album
'immune to bullets'

bethnoir

More of the debut album game

(this is all for fun.. anyone who would like their image removed, just yell.. the svengali will be taken from the charts and seriously tickled.... and nilpferd.. that could be by your band.. you have been warned.)

Before joining the American League Division Series Broadcasters, lead singer Tim Kraskey (a completely random 3rd degree LinkedIn.com connection of mine...) used to be in:

Glaverbel - Romanticism or Politics

Et, au petit matin, mon âme s'est perdue dans les sombres ténèbres où me guidaient ses pas !

gives a nice impression of the moody New Order meets Echo & the Bunnymen music they made, not too successful, alas......
TonNL

Monty Tiwa
presents ..
My Work Is A Game

Frankie and Bingo sitting on the fence 99/365 8/8/08

Introspective folktronica funboy ......
from TatankaYotanka

Emilie Mondor, and her album is "You'll be shot at"...

ejaydee

Currently sending out ads to find a teenage bassist, drummer and lead guiter for new American indie combo to rival Greenday, the Hoosiers, Cake etc etc...
- National Institut of Sports
to record our debut album
- Results in a victory (which spookily fits and is actually from Clemenceau)

Frogprincess

Hong Kong Central Hospital announce their new album 'Look Including Inside Ourselves'

I think we're probably a set of ISB wannabees - no connection to Hong Kong, obv...
treefrogdemon

Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)- first release "lovest what is lovely".

..the horror.. (that's my reaction, not the band name)... I've created a chewing gum popping, stripy-tighted, emogirltastic monster lovefest..
nilpferd

Sorry if I've not been able to sort any (j-pegs or not able to embed )
how much fun is this.
First one up with a song in the style of their band wins some bubblegum pop.

Debut album continued

I don't know how to add a picture to a comment so this is the cover to Maidenhead United F.C.'s first album "We Can Adjust the Sails"

Bet they're a bunch of whiny indie boys...

Monday, August 11, 2008

The Debut Album Game

I would have put this on the 'spill but my registration hasn't come through yet, so if anyone wants to put this up there, feel free to. It's fun…
This was from Gareth and the E-mails are flying around.. those not in touch should join in... As the competent two are away I'll try a post this for you.... but I don't want any proper control. NO WAY.

--------

THE DEBUT ALBUM GAME
Follow these simple instructions to find the name of your band, your album title and your sleeve design. Childish but fun, says the man behind Manitoba Highway 110.

* 1: Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

* 2: Go to Random quotations:
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words (more or less if it makes sense) of the very last quote of the page is the title of
your first album.

* 3: Go to flickrs 'last seven days' section:
http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

This is saneshanes cool new band...or not!

Maurits Binger Film Institute

“On to be scared”

We’re called KDXG

Named after a classic rock station in Missouri

Debut album called “Madness Gotten Finer”

And get this cover:

from DsD.

next up... Gareths..

Manitoba Highway 110 - Let It Never Go By

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabinche/2753120090/

Heel Lifts- As Smart and Interesting As Any Of My Friends
http://www.flickr.com/photos/h24/2743663179/
(You Know who you are.. but wouldn't want to be linked to this picture!)

the rest have been attachments so can't link...
go on... put them in the comments

Back from hols - what we listened to while away.

Hi all,

I am back home today, sad time all round!

Great holiday though, too much wine and good food, mostly hot and sunny too.

Thought I'd post what we listened to while away. We took a random 30 or so CDs.

We had these ones on heavy rotation;

Van Morrison - It's too late to stop now
Grateful Dead - Reckoning and A nightfall of diamonds
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
Emmylou Harris - Elite Hotel
John Martyn - Live at Leeds and more
Yes - Yessongs
Electronic - Get the message - The best of Electronic
The Breeders - Last Splash
The Pixies - Doolittle
Throwing Muses - The real Ramona
The Wailers - Catch a fire
Pentangle - A basket of light
Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus
Bruce Springsteen - Born to run
Tim Buckley - Dream letter - Live in London
Steely Dan - Remastered greatest hits
Bob Dylan - Modern times
Spirit - Twelve dreams of Dr Sardonicus
Talking Heads - Stop making sense
David Gilmour - From an island

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Used it for a marble

Just testing...to see if I can make Boxstr work at last.

Smiffy's Glass Eye by Richard and Linda Thompson

Guilty as charged

Allow me to set the scene. I'm driving back from Tesco's in the company of she who shall be known as ToffeeGirl. We've been to the Garden Centre, we've been to the dump, we've been to get money out for the bigger MissToffee's forthcoming trip to California and now we've done the weekly shopping. It's lunchtime in the cricket so the radio's off and ToffeeGirl chooses a CD - and there we are, a few minutes later, sitting at a set of traffic lights with Billy Don't Be A Bloody Hero blaring out of the open car windows and what's left of my street-cred disappearing through the same windows.

So who's to blame for this atrocity? Well, Paper Lace, obviously but I think we need to look deeper than that. ToffeeGirl herself is clearly guilty - she put the Jackie CD in the player, she chose track 14, she pressed play. But then, who bought the CD for her in the first place? Well actually, it was the MissToffees as a mother's day present last year so, girls, you are also guilty!

But there's one more candidate to consider - yes, frogprincess, it's you. Hide your face in shame, woman. It was you who set this whole thing in motion by recommending that David Cassidy track on RR yesterday and then posting it on the 'Spill - which inspired ToffeeGirl to get out the Jackie CD - partly to have a leering look at the DC poster that came with it - but also, as it turned out, to inflict the damn music on me and the rest of the inhabitants of south west Hertfordshire.

OK - that's enough blame - now it's confession time. I'm actually quite fond of a number of tracks on the Jackie CD - and one in particular, Oh Lori, by Alessi, has always been a favourite of mine so here it is; my guilty pleasure.

Of course, what we all want to know is, what's your guilty pleasure (and, no DsD, I'm not talking about Sinead O'Connor - not that kind of pleasure, thank you). If I've got the tracks you nominate (and knowing ToffeeGirl's tastes as I do, there's a good chance that I will have) I'll add them to the playlist.

You'll see that I'm still on podbean - I have really tried to understand how boxstr works and how you get from uploading a track to your boxstr account to actually seeing it appear on the blog and I just don't get it. I know that the Yahoo media player is involved somehow but how - where does it fit in and how do you get the player? I'm not stupid (no, really, I'm not) and I'm usually very good with IT stuff but this has me utterly defeated. If anyone's willing to take on the task of talking me through it, step by step, I'll give it another go but otherwise, it's podbean all the way for me...

Eye am Bored

So, is it wrong in an -Eels- Talking Heads- kind of way -to go WAKE UP I need entertaining?

(yes it is .. so another playlist.. sorry if I'm boring you all)

Hot Chip
Stars
Brendon Benson
Viva Voce
Alias
Blackaliciouslink
Her Space Holiday
Baba Zula
Modest Mouse
Funki Porcini

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Eye eye, what's goin' on 'ere then?

It's been a wee while since I did a list and I haven't been at all innovative or clever or original with this one. It's unashamedly poppy and mainstream. The first song is almost a joke but I couldn't help thinking how great that melody would sound re-worked by Miles or Herbie Hancock. I suppose I just wanted to hear this lot again. The highlights were reminding myself how great the lyrics of 'Eye of the needle' are, remembering what a good mood anything by Altered Images puts me into and recalling what great vocal control Billy Idol has.

I'm away soon so may not be in next week. I've some news from Manuel Goettsching so I may pop in later with that. I'm not even daring to ask you to identify the picture, the film, the director and what happens next. Oh and how it was done...

Découvrez The Partridge Family!

Friday, August 8, 2008

eyeclectic

Some very different eye tracks... jazz vocal, trip hop, psychedelic garage pop..
starting with "Angel Eyes", sung by multi-tracked acapella group The Singers Unlimited. I always loved the vulnerable, slightly paranoid feel of this track, very dark despite the harmonics.
Mel Torme delivers an upbeat version of "old devil moon", certainly more saccharine than Sinatra's, but Torme's voice luxuriates in the west coast jazz setting as only he can. But I've removed him, and put in Irene Kral's version of "when I look in your eyes" instead.
Change of mood for DJ Krush- "Light-can you see it- 3rd eye mix" by DJ Cam. Perfectly paced trip hop.
Finally the 3Ds' "one eye opened". He has triple vision, but only has one eye. Got that?
OK, I relented and put Mel back in the list. Sweet but brilliant. And I've added Bill Evan's beautiful Jade Visions, with Scott laFaro on bass.
To finish with, more DJ Krush: "40 Winks" from Cold Krush Cuts.

But wait! I'll add Ella Fitzgerald singing "wait till you see him", and the Verve remix of same by Dephazz. I think this is a wonderful lyric from Lorenz Hart, one of Ella's most perfectly judged performances, and a creditable, achingly restrained remix by the Heidelberg based Nu-jazzers.

The Go-betweens "the devils eye", just to add some acoustic, folk-inflected pop to the mix.. an exquisite track.

"Look up dere", Karma. atmospheric downbeat nu-jazz built around a few simple soundbites.

(Player removed)

Pie EYED

‘In Chaos I See’ The Clint Boon Experience talking you in slowly

‘Devil's Eyes’ Buck 65 not the piano version, the harder original.

‘Father's Eyes’ De Rosa I’m a sucker for accents in song and this is pure.

‘Beatific Visions’ Brakes one of my favourite bands

‘Little Eyes’ Yo La Tengo When my son was born I had this album on repeat (summer sun) this song is beautiful and I’m sure I’ve taken the words completely differently to how they were written. I designed a peace of graffiti- elephants on surf boards- for his room inspired by the ‘How to make a baby elephant float’ title too.

‘If You Close Your Eyes’ The Herbaliser some Jean Grae vocals just for steenbeck

‘Eyes are Mosaics’ Harold Budd, Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie, Elizabeth Fraser beautiful- what would you expect?

‘Fish’ Throwing Muses “it sings to me with glassy eyes and quotes from Kafka” “the girl behind the counter see a fin school” “lonely is a eyesore, the feeling describes itself” In my top 10 Kristin songs.. makes so much sense to me.

‘Sight of You’ Pale Saints I must have been coming out of a relationship when this was released… I played it at 5 a.m. and started welling up… listen out for the crackles.. only on vinyl do you get this joy!

‘Night Vision’ Now It's Overhead “Night falls, over lids that won't close, I'm wide awake worrying how long until I say….your highest high is my lowest low..”

'The Dress looks nice on you' Sufjan Stevens.. this is such a beautiful song just for R.

Hope this all works... everything is playing up today.

Clint Boon X
Buck 65
De Rosa
Brakes
Yo La Tengo
The Herbaliser
Harold Budd
Throwing Muses
Pale Saints
Now it's Overhead
Sufjan Stevens

thanking the people who need thanking

Hello.

Havent been around for a bit. Just to say a big thank you to Darceys Dad for bringing me a lot of lovely music from the meets I missed. Have got my shit together now for good hopefully, and am really enjoying the music (well, most of it!)

I've made the mistake of not finding out who most of the stuff is by.

There's one song, a "jaunty"(!) soul type thing - something like "mama this man treats me no good" or something. WHO IS IT BY? ITS ACE!

love

fourfoot

Eye Don't See It?

What no blog on the mothership yet? It's going to be another giant of a theme, so will limit this week's playlist to songs by artists not yet in the A-Z.

Somebody Touch I
Your Blue Eyes
Can You See Me Shining?
Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Little Bo Peep
4 Hours
Stargazer
Blind
Blackout

1) African Head Charge, with the wrong kind of eye, but so many of them it seemed a good place to start. 2) A Certain Ratio from their major label period. 3) Pete Shelley & Howard Devoto, 2 Buzzcocks reunite for an interesting album. 4) The Helio Sequence, chugging along. 5) Phillip Roebuck - blazing one-man-band. 6) Clock DVA's classic 7) Zephyrs, with a beautiful song 8) Hercules & Love Affair, Antony's new project 9) Chris Garneau - one of my favorite recent discoveries.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Pete Rock

I just love Pete Rock.
Two tracks ( Go With the Flow should have been on my flute list) from the first thing he put out with CL Smooth, an EP called All Souled Out.
Three tracks from Petestrumentals, his mostly instrumental album.
2 tracks from his solo albums featuring various members of the Wu Tang Clan. (Listen to the sample on Tha Game, I don't know what it is, but it kills me.)
And some work he did on other people's albums--Talib Kweli, Public Enemy, and Nas, in that order.

Mecca & the Soul Brother
Go WIth The Flow
Give it to Y'all
Hip Hopcrisy
Smooth Sailing
Tha Game
The PJs
Holy Moly
Shut Em Down
The World is Yours

Old Song, New Song

In a groundbreaking new feature, I'd like to present "Old Song, New Song"; in which I post up an old song and a new song for your listening pleasure.

Phew, it took me ages to dream this one up!

Old Song: "Nothing But Flowers" by Talking Heads, because I heard it on the opening credits of Clerks 2 the other day, and because it's good.

New Song: "Rocks And Daggers" by Noah And The Whale, because their debut album is nearly out, and it seems like I've been banging on about them all year, and because it's good.

Nothing But Flowers by Talking Heads
Rocks And Daggers by Noah And The Whale

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

GREAT GRITTY BIRD.

Exactly a month ago I posted a column from my favorite columnist at the SF Chronicle, the response was so overwhelming that I'm going to treat you to another, his name is Jon Carroll.

An unrelated sidenote, the day after tomorrow is my 50th anniversary in the new world. Here's Jon, the title is Gritty Great Bird.

JON CARROLL
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Like houses, iPods generally get more cluttered as they get older. I got mine a few years ago and promptly uploaded 15 or 22 of my favorite CDs onto its cute little hard drive. Then I filled in some gaps by purchasing things from iTunes, then made some impulse purchases from iTunes (Mary J. Blige? What was I thinking?), then I had to impose some discipline because even at 99 cents per, the bill was beginning to mount, then I loaded in some soundtracks and other people's mix tapes, and soon I had 1,300 pieces of music and no real idea where some of them had come from.
Meaning that every little shuffle has a few surprises. Sometimes they are nice surprises, sometimes ... well, something else.
I like music that gives me a peaceful, easy feeling - including, yes, "Peaceful Easy Feeling" by the Eagles. In fact, I also like "Take It to the Limit" and "Take It Easy," which are Eagles songs too. I know, I know, but shut up. Yer folk-rock-pop thing, it speaks to me. Or rather, it doesn't speak to me, it just lets me alone. If I want music that speaks to me, I've got a lot of Mavis Staples on my iPod too.
I also like "Country Roads" and "Country Comforts." Both of them. Ha!
So there I was washing up after dinner, and a peaceful, easy song comes on the iPod. It sounds like a lot of other peaceful songs, and I'm sure I know it, but I can't quite place it. The chorus hooks me after two or three times: "Oooo-eee, ride me high, tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come; oooo-eee, are we gonna fly down in the easy chair."
I turned the iPod off and got on with my evening, but the chorus stuck. "Oooo-eee," love the oooo-eee, "ride me high, tomorrow's the day my bride's gonna come, oooo-eee," OK, now, wait. So this guy is getting married tomorrow, and tonight he's kicking back, maybe getting a little baked, and he's envisioning the bliss that awaits him. He and his bride are gonna fly down in the easy chair. Down in the easy chair.
I suddenly have a picture of a woman in full bride's regalia straddling a man sitting in a BarcaLounger. It's not that pleasing a picture. Sometimes you can be too peaceful and too easy, and probably your wedding night is one of those times. What are we celebrating here? Who is singing this song? Why is it on my iPod?
The answers to the first and third questions are hard, but the second is easy: It's the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (memorably introduced once by George W. Bush as "the Nitty Ditty Nitty Gritty Great Bird") performing "You Ain't Going Nowhere" by Bob Dylan.
Perhaps the verses will offer clarification: "Clouds so swift, the rain won't lift. Gates won't close, the railings froze. So get your mind off wintertime, you ain't going nowhere." OK, it's winter. The railings have frozen (the railings?), and it's stormy, so no wonder I'm inside thinking about my bride, who is presumably going to be fighting her way through an ice storm to get to peaceful, easy me.
"Buy me a flute, and a gun that shoots, tailgates and substitutes; strap yourself to a tree with roots, you ain't going nowhere." This has to be a first draft; sounds like Dylan kinda took the day off, got himself a rhyming dictionary and a psychoactive substance - he wasn't going nowhere, in any sense. And yet, unexamined, it's a swell verse - although, if I ain't going nowhere, surely I don't need to strap myself to anything, unless I'm a danger to myself and others, which, given everything, maybe so.
"Well I don't care how many letters they sent, the morning came and the morning went, so pack up your money, and pick up your tent; you ain't going nowhere." Oh, come on. Why would I pick up my tent if I'm not going anywhere? Maybe I am going to be something of a bother to you and your bride, but you should have thought of that before you scheduled a midwinter wedding in rural Minnesota.
"And Genghis Khan, he could not keep all his men supplied with sleep. Well, climb that hill no matter how steep, when we get up to it." Oh, fab. I'm certain that all the members of the Nitty Ditty Nitty Gritty Great Bird will want to mention that to your bride, because there's nothing like a Mongol horde to spice up a romantic evening by the fireplace.
But, you know, who cares? I've got a peaceful, easy feeling; I'm already standing on the ground; and, as you point out, I ain't going nowhere. You two have fun; I'm retreating to my tent.

It's all fine if you don't listen to the lyrics. You mellow out, you spend time in the groove, you look upon your fellow creatures with affection. Then, uh-oh.
I like the way your sparkling earrings lay against your skin, it's so brown, and I wanna sleep with you in the desert tonight with a billion stars all around. I gotta peaceful easy feeling and I know you won't let me down because I'm already standing on jcarroll@sfchronicle.com.

There's a blog attached, if you want to know how citizens of the new world respond, go to:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/comments/view?f=/c/a/2008/08/06/DDS7124RFG.DTL

A Hip Hop Curiosity

Zissou listens to Cannibal Ox

Discover Mike Ladd!

Just stolen this from the Drowned in Sound website

Can I please say 'Thank You'?

I think I've mentioned in passing over the past few months that I've been busy writing a book - in fact, I've spent just about every waking moment since the start of May (in addition to holding down a full time job) writing the damn thing! And, let me tell you, it has not been an enjoyable experience, mainly thanks to the ridiculous deadlines and pressures imposed by my utterly insane publishers. You don't need to know what the book is - suffice it to say that it probably won't be on your Christmas list and I won't be retiring on the proceeds.

ToffeeGirl has of course been a tower of strength throughout the whole process but I just wanted to say that the other thing that's got me through the stress of the past few months with my sanity (almost) intact has been this wonderful blog and all the wonderful people who contribute to it. So how do I propose to repay you all? - no, don't worry, not with a free copy of the book - instead, in true 'Spill tradition, I present to you an appropriately themed playlist (free of any accompanying notes - if you don't know what something is, please ask me).

Thank you!

Worst Record Ever?

Found this on the old inter-web & as I hate to suffer alone, will share it with all of you. Anyone else got any nominations for worst record ever?

Yes Sir, ich kann Boogie

Here's the website for more info on the artiste - he is clearly a genius!

Strange Fruit - jam and racism for kids contd.

The guy with the green brolly is Little Black Sambo, hero of the book of the same name, which sold squintillions around the world (there's even a Japanese version). My mum still has a copy and we have argued over it since. She says, title aside, it's not racist but I disagree:

1. He looks like a caricature 'picaninny'. I remember being puzzled even at the time that he didn't look like any of the Indian boys I knew at school, but the book is set in India. I suppose the illustrator thought that all wogs looked the same. By the way, does anyone out there think the drawing of the Nubian pirate sailor in the Asterix books is racist?

2. The clothes. Sambo is terribly proud of his new outfit, but there's an element of colonial smugness to this. 'These natives try terribly hard to emulate us white folk but they always get it wrong. Look, the shoes are too big, he's not wearing a collar stud etc'.

Above 'Sambo' is a mechanical toy given to Sultan Fateh Ali Tipu, also known as the Tiger of Mysore. It is a tiger devouring a British Soldier. This is the only anti-white racist toy I could think of. They once had it on Blue Peter. Tippu Sultan, incidentally, was a right royal thorn in the side for the British, defeating them in battle and negotiating a treaty. A learned man and devout muslim, he died sabre in hand defending his Hindu subjects in 1799.

Don't get me started on Enid Blyton or Tintin in the Congo. I don't think the defence 'Wasn't considered racist at the time' counts. There are plenty of other things that were considered OK at the time (chastity belts, opium cough elixir for babies, mangles, large foot-pedalled dentist drills) but these things are no longer useful to us and you can only see them in museums.

My son has a 'Golly' called Molly. It's a family heirloom so I haven't thrown it out but if I ever catch him hanging it from a tree it's going in the bin pronto.

I'm rather more uneasy about the gender stereotyping these days. I took my kid to a fancy dress party recently. The boys were an eclectic mixture of pirates, power rangers, dinosaurs, bat & spidermen etc but every single goddam little girl was dressed in a frilly pink princess outfit. If I had a daughter I think I'd have something to say about that. I mean can't you wear a Wonder Woman outfit? If you're gonna be a princess at least be a Frog Princess or Boudicca fer chrissakes. Hey, I know! You can go as the Tippu Sultan. Here's your sabre.

@steenbeck. Sorry you missed out on the Robertson's badge collection. I saw the whole set at the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh last month. There were better things to collect in the 70s: Neptune's Sea Bed Serenaders (in cereal packets), Esso FA Cup coins, bottle tops, Trojan records, lovebites...

Monday, August 4, 2008

With apologies to the frog fraternity ...

I hope you can read this ... wasn't sure how to copy it from my email. Given that it appeared in my Inbox amidst the Frog In A Bucket comments, I couldn't resist!

Frog In A Bucket

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

To keep us amused till Friday

Do you know these guys? They're lots of fun!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Eli "Paperboy" Reed

The best show I've seen this year is now available through fabchannel, enjoy Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves, pure soul in the best Sam Cooke/Otis Redding tradition, live from the small hall @ the Paradiso, Amsterdam:

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Would you like some racism with your scone, sir?

Having stumbled over this page on the internet that lists the top ten Most Racist Toys I was reminded of the tea room that I visited a couple of months ago that sold golliwogs not dissimilar to the ones pictured. I was somewhat shocked that gollys were still sold in the UK, especially in a beautiful, quaint tea room in a beautiful conservation village!

I think Robertson's jam only removed the golly from their packaging relatively recently, I certainly remember from my childhood there always being Robertson's jam in the cupboard with the golly logo on it.

A brief search on the internet finds a thriving golliwog appreciation community with collectors' guides etc.

Pro golly arguments claim there to be no racism involved ("it's just a doll" they cry).

Mr Golly, the garage owner in Noddy's Toytown, was replaced in the 80s by Mr Sparks. Enid Blyton, Noddy's creator, has a terrible history of flinging awful racism at impressionable children, as this passage from one of her books ( "The Three Golliwogs") shows:

Once the three bold Golliwogs, Golly, Woggie, and Nigger, decided to go for a walk to Bumble-Bee Common. Golly wasn't quite ready so Woggie and Nigger said they would start off without him, and Golly would catch them up as soon as he could. So off went Woggie and Nigger, arm-in-arm, singing merrily their favourite song - which, as you may guess, was Ten Little Nigger Boys.

So, what would you do if faced with golliwogs on sale?

Now be Thankful

ShivSidecar posted the video for REM's 'Bad Day' on the mothership, saying it was one of his favourites: and I was glad, cos now it's one of my favourites too. The 'count your blessings' line reminded me of my mother's slogan "Set a spell...Count blessings", which was what she'd do when things were getting on top of her.

But, as I found when I googled it, the expression originally had a slightly different meaning:

'Last century, a bride was instructed in Mountain Life and Work to wash the clothes thus: “1. bild a fire in back yard to heat kettle of rain water. 2. set tubs so smoke won't blow in eyes if wind is pert. 3. shave one hole cake soap in bilin water. 4. sort things, make three piles, one pile white, one cullord, one work britches and rags. 5. stur flour in cold water to smooth then thin down with bilin water. 6. rub dirty spots on bord, scrub hard,then bile. 7. rub cullord but don't bile just rench and starch. 8. spred tee towels on grass; hang old rags on fence; pore rench water in flower bod; scrub porch with soapy water. 9. turn tubs upside down. 10. go put on clean dress, smooth hair with side combs, brew cup of tee, set and rest and rock a spell and count blessins.”'

Luckily, I have a washing machine, but I still find the rest of the advice useful.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Please... and Thank you for the music.

teşekkür ederim = thanks
Lütfen = please
(I think that's what I was supposed to say)

Uploading files, please wait……
Okay ‘International Velvet’ is funny.. “Every day when I wake up I thank the Lord I’m Welsh” also it starts like chitty chitty bang bang.

Kings of Convenience do their usual ..but “five weeks in a prison..” what for? Frightening soft toys? We need to know!

Ultra Vivid Scene do their feedback drone that I love to death.. So much so that I had to down load this again because the vinyl was so worn and jumpy I felt you all deserved better.

Seeed do a good festie.. A much played collection from my German friends.

Soulwax in their band mode inject a little of the 2many djs vibe

Kano gets a nod as B**** Please various versions (snoop, xzibit eminem) is too well know. I didn’t think this would be such a tuff theme.

Youssou gets in ‘Please Wait’ is the most over used words on this screen.. The song makes up for it.

The Elected ‘Greetings in Braille‘ I find beautiful, so any excuse…
“And if you see me down at the liquor store,PLEASE don't tell my dad.And if you see my dad down at the liquor store,don't tell me anything at all”
Is the only line that counts!

Muse do a song some might know.

Luna covers just bring me joy.

And I’ll finish with Whistler ‘Thank You’ for listening.

Catatonia
Kings of Convenience
Ultra Vivid Scene
Seeed
Kano
Soulwax
Youssou N'Dour
The Elected
Muse
Luna
Whistler

D'OH

What songs have you thought of for an RR topic after the deadline has passed? Some of my recent D'OH moments include: "Everything You Can Think Is True" by Tom Waits for Surreal songs; and that Liebe Ist Cool's "Regenbogen" means rainbow in German, too late for colours week. What are your D'OH moments?

Anyway, here is a playlist for this week: 1) The wonderful Wolfgang Press 2) Mr. Devoto's cover version 3) Little Annie Anxiety (yes I know, blessing is a stretch, but it's one of those weeks) 4) The Cabs 5) The late, great, Andy Fairley with a sad little tale. Oh, for a quick quiz, 3 of these 5 songs have something in common. Not a "please" song in sight, am sure I'll come up with more after Monday...... D'OH.

Updated with bonus track: 6) Unreleased little gem from Nina Nastasia.

Riders on the Heart
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
Bless Those
Thank You America
Lack of Education
Untitled

don't say it unless you mean it

Haven't had much time to post recently, but I felt inspired this week to put up something from one of the all-time classic jazz albums.
John Coltrane's A love supreme is an intense, spontaneous expression of spirituality, touching on free jazz but grounded in Coltrane's own unique sound, his rhythmic and melodic sense. The suite is largely up-tempo, in four parts, beginning with Acknowledgement, above, and ending with the contemplative piece I've posted below, called Psalm, which is a "musical narration" of a poem Coltrane wrote to give thanks to God. As I mentioned on RR, if you read the text of the poem you can follow the words being articulated by Coltrane's saxophone. That isn't so important, though- the music stands alone as one of jazz's pivotal moments.
To balance Coltrane's stratospheric spirituality, something a little more earthy- the Cannonball Adderley Quintet with some advice for when adversity strikes- plead for mercy..

(player removed)

I saw this and I thought of you...

This Frosch-König (FP's uncle? father-in-law?) sits on the edge of the fountain in the Stadtplatz in Ehingen, a lovely little town which Mrs Abahachi and I encountered on Day 3 of our cycle trip from the source of the Danube. Highly recommended if you're ever in the area: fantastically friendly and helpful people - especially the proprietress of the Gasthof zur Rose, who happened to be driving past when we were standing outside lamenting the fact that it was their Ruhetag and so we had to keep looking for accommodation, stopped, opened up and offered us a room, and sent us away next morning with a free jar of her fabulous home-made strawberry jam - and enough pleasant drinking establishments and sights to keep anyone busy for an evening. Okay, so it's only very tangentially connected to this week's theme...

Be still my beating heart!

Here's Sinéad looking and sounding fabulous in 2006 (on my birthday in fact!).

Swoon!

Just don't tell DarceysMam, OK?!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

splat splash splosh

I went on holiday and came back to a million spill e-mails, I've been though most of them and couldn't turn down the chance to get a swimming play list going, even though Boxstr has stopped my account by request.